Health experts recognize that excess body weight, particularly if acquired early in life, can be a major health hazard. Excess weight is a risk factor for heart disease, some cancers, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, type 2 diabetes, and other serious metabolic disorders. It also causes additional strain on weight-bearing joints such as the knees and spine, and in many other ways can impair one's health. The effective treatment of obesity, however, remains a largely unachieved goal.
Currently, many medical and non-medical weight reduction programs utilize portion-controlled meal replacement products that are relatively low in calories. Examples of such products are the OPTIFAST, MEDIFAST, HMR, HEALTHWISE, PROCAL, and SLIMFAST food products. These portion-controlled products accomplish weight loss by limiting the caloric intake of an individual when used as instructed.
Some attempts have been made to increase fat utilization by adding monounsaturated fats to foods, but these attempts have been unsuccessful [see, e.g., Clifton P M, Noakes M, Keogh J B, “Very low-fat (12%) and high monounsaturated fat (35%) diets do not differentially affect abdominal fat loss in overweight, nondiabetic women,” J. Nutr., 134:1741-5 (2004)]. The use of n−3 highly unsaturated fatty acids in a weight-loss program has also been reported [Kunesova M, et al., “The Influence of n−3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Very Low Calorie Diet during a Short-term Weight Reducing Regimen on Weight Loss and Serum Fatty Acid Composition in Severely Obese Women,” Physiol. Res. 55: 63-72 (2006)].